COP23 highlights

11 Sep 2018

Cities across the world are committing to climate neutrality and taking bold action to get there. Reykjavík, Iceland is using geothermal energy to achieve its 2040 neutrality target, New York City is divesting from fossil fuels and the Australian Capital Territory intends to hit 100 percent renewable electricity by 2020. The Paris Agreement aims for

11 Sep 2018

Cities consume about 75 percent of global primary energy, making it crucial that local and regional governments work alongside nations, businesses and civil society to drive the renewable energy transition . This will not only slash global greenhouse gas emissions but also improve energy security in urban areas worldwide. Local and regional governments around the

6 Sep 2018

At first glance, building the world’s sustainable infrastructure looks dauntingly expensive. There are, for example, figures like the one written by the International Institute of Applied Statistical Analysis: “To meet countries’ NDCs”, writes the IIASA, “an additional US$130 billion of investment will be needed by 2030, while to achieve the 2°C target the gap is

28 Nov 2017

COP23, the 23rd United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany, came to a close on 18 November 2017. Here are our top takeaways and assessment of what it all means for local and regional governments – and for global climate action. 1. COP23 proved that the Paris Agreement is unstoppable and irreversible –

16 Nov 2017

For Manuel Alculete Lopes de Araújo, Mayor of Quelimane, Mozambique, governance is an issue that extends well beyond climate. Cooperation between national and local governments has, to date, been limited on a number of development issues. The Mayor shared strong views on the need to scale up climate action and on the need for effective

15 Nov 2017

Sustainable transport is key to the achievement of the Paris Agreement and has been mentioned in 75 percent of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Transport is also critical to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as urban mobility not only cuts emissions but improves quality of life in urban areas, by reducing congestion and pollution and providing

15 Nov 2017

The term sustainable public procurement might not seem so exciting at first glance, but it actually holds quite a bit of potential. In fact, the 10 of the cities that are part of the Global Lead City Network on Sustainable Procurement came together at COP23 in Bonn to explain how sustainable procurement can be a

14 Nov 2017

Buenos Aires, Recife and Campinas have several things in common. They are all large cities in Latin America dealing with the impacts of climate change. They face drought and intense periods of rains and flooding. They also share a strong commitment to take climate action. These cities is committed to the Global Covenant of Mayors

14 Nov 2017

At a national level, Japan is committed to the Paris Agreement. At COP22, Japan was one of the first countries to sign on to the 2050 pathways platform. On 14 November in the Japan Pavilion at COP23, Masaharu Nakagawa, Minister of the Environment and Yasuo Takahashi, Vice Minister of Global Environmental Affairs at the Ministry of

14 Nov 2017

On 13 November 2017, during COP23, cities, businesses and researchers gathered in a unique forum to discuss the implementation at scale of low-emissions solutions. Created by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UNSDSN) and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, this was the third Low Emission Solutions Conference